Left behind: Dahlia Lithwick talks to Susan Sherman, executive director of the Shenandoah National Park Trust, about how the continuing government shutdown is affecting national parks across the country. While there are heartbreaking reports—including Joshua trees being cut down—there is also a wellspring of volunteerism helping to maintain the parks in this difficult time.

This guy: William Barr, the former George H.W. Bush attorney general who is all but certain to serve the same role in the Trump administration, has a shockingly unconstitutional view of executive power. As Peter M. Shane reports, in memos Barr wrote in the ’80s, he claimed that the president holds total executive branch power. That viewpoint would be reckless under this particular president.

Tell me, Kondo, Kondo, Kondo: Inkoo Kang reviews Netflix’s Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, the new big thing in self-help media. She praises it for showing how difficult its trumpeted method actually can be, which makes it a refreshing change from other shows of its kind.

Thieves in the night: You might have heard about that California guy whose roommate allegedly stole his winning lottery ticket to try to cash in on what turned out to be a $10 million bounty. What ended up happening to him, and what would happen to you if your winning ticket got stolen? Molly Olmstead explains.